Posted on 07/19/2004 7:46:42 AM PDT by presidio9
I would not go as far to say that ALL natural medicines are better than Western medicine, but I try to go the natural route first, mainly because at WORST case scenario, it doesnt solve the problem,but there are NO harmful side effects. Of course due to supply and demand, plant sources are being used and I had never heard of any plant going extinct as the result of that. This is the material world and humans just simply cant survive without causing some pain and suffering on other living things. Of the 2 basic food kingdoms, plant and animal, I choose the less violent of the 2. Of course plants are living things also and DO have a soul, but there is a question of commiting less violence in the act. There is a difference in picking an apple off a tree and slitting a pigs throat while hanging upside down. We must kill something to survive,that is just the nature of this world. Anyway, I appreciate your response.
Please don't kid yourself that because something is "natural" is will have "no harmful side effects". A lot of natural herbal remedies can indeed have serious side effects. One serious problem with natural herbal products is that the potency level of the active compound can vary widely, leading to overdose-related side effects, since plants of a given species can't be guaranteed to all grow with the same characteristics. Products derived from natural sources, which have been processed by a reputable pharmaceutical company for consistency of the active compound aren't likely to have this problem, but less processed or unprocessed herbs are like throwing dice when it comes to potency.
Some people have made themselves very, very sick with "natural" remedies. A few months ago, I was at a seminar run by my acupuncturist (who also does Chinese herbal medicine -- but not on me!) and a medical doctor. A woman there told about how she had ended up in the hospital with severe jaundice, after the herbs she had been given by a Chinese medicine specialist (for infertility) had poisoned her.
I understand what you are saying. There can be both good and bad effects from both sides of the fence. However, if you look into it, the sheer numbers of bad side effects,death,and what have you, are clearly higher than that of people who search alternative medicines. Its also not just the argument of nature versus lab, but the philosphy behind western medicine is to take an antibiotic and a pain killer. It seems the philosophy is more in tune to treating symptoms rather than finding the source. This is where I like the philosophy of Alternative medicine, where is tries to find the root cause of the sickness, rather than treating the symtoms that follow the sickness. Anywho, its good to have discussion on this. Thanks for your input.
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